The invention relates to a telecommunication terminal for receiving visually perceptible information and for projecting the received information onto a projection screen. It is also directed to a device for projecting visually perceptible information onto a projection screen with an interface circuit for connection to another device receiving the visually perceptible information.
From EP 352914A2 there is known a telecommunication terminal with a means for receiving and for representing visually perceptible information. The telecommunication terminal described therein is a telephone with a miniature display for received information, for example, for received alphanumeric characters or for received fax messages. The miniature display used therein comprises an assembly of light emitting diodes (LEDs) which are viewed with a magnifying optical system, whereby the miniature display appears to the viewer like a large-area image display (virtual image display). With this conventional telecommunication terminal, only one person can view the visual information, namely only the subscriber. He/she has to position the miniature display in front of either one of his/her eyes. The miniature display is integrated into the handset rendering the handset rather heavy and bulky.
From the article by H. Lemme xe2x80x9cImage Projectors Overtake Large Displays,xe2x80x9d published on pages 56 to 70 in the technical journal xe2x80x9cElektronikxe2x80x9d, Volume 2/1996, Franzis-Verlag, Feldkirchen, Germany, there is known a device with means for projecting visually perceptible information onto a projection screen. This device comprises a so-called DMD chip (Digital Mirror Device), i.e., an integrated circuit with a reflecting optical switching matrix consisting of 1280xc3x971024 micromirrors. The micromirrors are individually suspended from semi-gimbal mounts and are deflected by control signals (see FIGS. 4 and 9 therein) for reflecting impinging light and projecting the light onto a projection screen. In the article, there is described that the DMD chip is used in laser projection systems for computer images or TV images.
The invention is based on the understanding that the telecommunication terminal described above can be improved by providing the terminal with projection means that comprise a circuit with an illuminatable and reflecting optical switching matrix and at least one optical lens for projecting the light reflected by the optical switching matrix onto the projection screen, which can only be used for the above-described device.
In addition, the invention is based on the concept that the above-described device can be improved by providing the device with an interface circuit adapted for connection to a telecommunication terminal.
Accordingly, the projection means which have been known for quite some time in the fields of computer technology and TV technology (see the article referenced above by H. Lemme, page 57, 2. paragraph), are now used in or for a telecommunications terminal for overcoming the disadvantages described at the beginning.